According to White House officials, more than one in three adults have been vaccinated against COVID-19.  Nearly 75% of senior citizens have at least received their first vaccination.  Yet Americans are still being urged to remain socially distant and mask their faces despite reports of the shot's effectiveness.

My mother and my mother in-law received their vaccines recently.  Each have differing reasons and very different methods for handling all the changes that have come from this pandemic, but both are ready to put all of the struggles of the past year behind them.

My mom is hoping that if enough people get the vaccine, it will not be made mandatory.  She understands the concerns about short- and long-term side-effects that come with a rushed vaccine.  To her, she would rather be a guinea pig than have her children and grandchildren forced to suffer the consequences of potential reactions or become social outcasts if the shot is made mandatory.

I respect and support this.  Whatever others feel is best for them is how I feel they should proceed.  It's how I've viewed all the issues throughout the pandemic.

I myself have no interest in allowing my body to be experimented on.  Not all the vaccines have been FDA-approved.  They have not been tested enough.  My children will not be receiving the shot, either.  It makes no sense to consider inoculating children for a virus that does little or nothing to them.

Despite this, my mom has kept close.  She refused to stay away from her loved ones.  Though she is growing older and health concerns are always an issue, pandemic or no pandemic, she continued celebrating life with my sister and our children throughout last year because she would rather die than be isolated from the love of those who matter most to her.

My mother-in-law lives 500 miles away.  It was easier for her to stay away despite my giving birth to another grandchild last year.  She wears a mask everywhere she goes, is terrified every time she rarely leaves the house, and has not kissed her youngest grandchild, despite a couple of visits we took to my husband's hometown last year.  We did get to see each other, under socially distant terms: we stood around the driveway so they could at least meet the baby.  That was a priority to me.

It was stressful traveling so far with a baby.  My husband's relationship with his family has suffered, and we're doing the best we can, but all the time lost with my in-laws is straining them and us.

My mother-in-law just wants her life back.  She keeps saying, "I can't live like this anymore."

So she got her shot.  As a retired nurse, she is terrified of potential side-effects and thinks Dr. Fauci is a "quack," but because she has spent so much time alone at home watching the mainstream news report on deaths day after day, she has developed an irrational fear of everyone, even her husband (who continues going out).

As reports continue to focus on cases instead of the fact that deaths are down and never reached predicted levels, the vaccine is being given at record rates.  During a statement to the public, Biden noted that 2.5 million Americans are being vaccinated every day.

For those who fear the virus, this should be good news which allows them to celebrate by embracing their loved ones and smiling unmasked.  My mother-in-law has already planned her trip to come see us.  She views the vaccine as her ticket to freedom.

All she wants is to cuddle her grandbabies and kiss the infant who doesn't know her at all.  That shouldn't be too much to ask for.

If those most at risk now have a vaccine that they can take if they wish, distancing and masking should be rendered obsolete.  Like with the flu shot, and every other inoculation, there will always be risks and varying circumstances to weight, but life must go on.  Continuing to rely on excessive safety protocols does nothing to offer confidence in the COVID-19 shot. 

Jessica is a homeschooling mother of four and author of The Golden Rule, Walk Your Path, and The Magic of Nature.  She has been featured by: The New American, The Epoch Times, Evie Magazine, American Thinker, and many more.

Image: Pixabay.